1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a security gate apparatus for attachment across an opening defined by a pair of vertical surfaces and, more particularly, to a security gate apparatus having a pair of horizontally adjustable gate panels which frictionally engage the pair of vertical surfaces by means of a pivoting motion between the gate panels and a pair of outer vertical legs.
2. Description of Related Art
In environments where small children, infants or pets are present, it is generally desirable to have a security gate or closure device which may be removably placed within a doorway to prevent passage therethrough. For example, it may be desirable to restrict small children to a particular room without shutting the door to the room such that one can look into the room or the children can see an adult nearby.
Various prior art gate devices have been proposed wherein the gate may be removably mounted within a doorway and which typically include means for adjusting. the width of the gate to accommodate different doorway widths. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,263 to Gebhard discloses an infant security door gate assembly which includes upper and lower support bars incorporating coil springs positioned within telescoping tubes to form a compression friction fit within the doorway. In addition, the gate is formed of a pair of complementary panels which follow the telescoping expansion and contraction of the support bars.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,117 to Gebhard et al. discloses another construction for a security gate including a pair of overlapping panels which may be adjusted relative to each other to provide a general width adjustment for the gate to be positioned in close proximity to the sides of the doorway. A mechanism is provided along the edge of one of the panels including a foot operated actuator for moving a pair of edgeblocks outwardly from the edge of the panel to frictionally engage the side of the doorway.
While the above-described gates are satisfactory for preventing passage of a small child, infant or pet through the doorway, a gate providing maximum convenience is desired when the doorway must be temporarily opened to allow passage therethrough, such as when an adult desires to pass into or out of a room for which the gate is acting as a closure device. In a further prior art gate which attempts to address this desire, a mounting frame is provided for the gate including two vertically extending sections for engaging opposing sides of the doorway. A pair of panels is provided between the frame sections wherein one panel is rigidly attached to the frame and a second panel is pivotally connected to the first panel and includes a release latch for engaging one of the vertical sections to maintain the gate in a closed position. Thus, the frame portion may be positioned in frictional contact with the sides of a doorway and the pivoted section may be opened and closed as needed to allow passage through the doorway. One problem with the latter described security gate, however, is that a toddler may easily learn how to manipulate the safety release latch to open the gate such that the gate is limited in its application to use with infants and pets.
Accordingly, there is a need for a security gate for use as a closure within a, doorway which is easily adjustable to the doorway and which permits easy passage for an adult through the doorway. One such attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,461 to Stern, where a security gate is disclosed which is able to be installed and released by one hand. In particular, this gate includes two panels which are extendable with respect to each other and may be locked in an extended position. A handle is located centrally on the top of the gate and is connected by a pair of cranks and a pull rod to a pair of plungers which contact one side of the doorframe. A spring bias on the plungers normally force the plungers into contact with the doorframe, but the handle may be employed to withdraw the plungers from contact with the doorframes. While this design has proven to be effective for its intended purpose, it has been found that a simpler design with fewer moving parts would be desirable, especially since such a design would be more economical.